


Fall is Coming

by Dandy



Category: Free!
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-11
Updated: 2014-09-11
Packaged: 2018-02-16 23:19:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2288288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dandy/pseuds/Dandy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Episode 11 spoilers (kind of).</p>
<p>Rei and Nagisa waited a long time. Neither Makoto nor Haruka came back.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fall is Coming

**Author's Note:**

> I just had to do a thing.

Neither Makoto nor Haruka came back.

Rei and Nagisa waited a long time, long after the fireworks stopped and the lanterns floated away. After a little while they both got tired of standing and sat down on the beach. They attempted small talk at first, but neither of them really had the energy for it, and instead they stared out at the waves, lost in their own thoughts.

Rei didn’t say anything as Nagisa scooted closer to him, until he was leaned against his shoulder, shivering as a cool wind blew off the sea. Fall is coming, thought Rei, and without even thinking about it he slid an arm around Nagisa’s shoulders.

“…Where _are_ they?” Rei said after another ten minutes passed, and was amazed at how hoarse his own voice sounded. He hadn’t been crying, but it felt like his throat was closed up, resisting his attempts to talk.

“Maybe they worked it out,” said Nagisa, and didn’t sound like he believed those words for a moment. “Maybe they’re… maybe they’re together, getting ice cream or…”

He trailed off miserably. Rei didn’t mention that no ice cream shop would be open at this hour because Nagisa wasn’t stupid. 

“I’m going to call him,” he said instead, and didn’t clarify, didn’t have to, because only Makoto was likely to answer his phone. He wiggled his own cell out of his pocket, used the hand not holding Nagisa to dial.

The phone went straight to voicemail, and Rei pulled it away to stare at the phone in shock for a moment, Makoto’s pleasant voice apologizing for not answering and if he could just leave a message after the beep, please, and then he remembered himself and put the phone back to his ear.

“Makoto-senpai? Are you and Haruka-senpai still here? Nagisa-kun and I have been waiting but we haven’t seen either of you.” He swallowed hard. “Just…. please call us back and let us know you’re safe.”

He hung up the phone, stared at it a moment longer just in case Makoto called him back immediately, like he usually did when he missed a call, then sighed and set it down in the sand next to him before leaning a little more into Nagisa.

“He didn’t answer.” It wasn’t a question.

“I’m sure they’re fine,” Rei said, as much as for himself as for Nagisa.

They stayed there another ten minutes. The wind coming off the ocean was colder and colder. Everyone else had gone home.

Rei was about to suggest they go looking when his phone went off. He jumped and grabbed for it, Nagisa pulling away so he could try to see the name on Rei’s phone screen.

“It’s him,” said Rei breathlessly, a bit dismayed to see a text message instead of a call. “He sent a text.”

Nagisa didn’t ask, just waited, and Rei read it aloud.

_oh god rei im so sorry we went home already. u 2 go home too ok? we’ll talk later._

“…That’s all it says,” he ended, looking at Nagisa, who wasn’t looking back.

After another full minute, Nagisa stood up, dusting the sand off himself. “Then let’s go,” he said, voice emotionless. Rei rose as well.

“…Rei-chan?”

“Yeah?”

“I don’t want to go home alone.”

“You can spend the night at my house.”

Though the angle was more awkward, he put his arm back around Nagisa, who slid his arm around Rei’s waste, and shivered.

“Fall is coming,” said Rei aloud, and felt like an idiot.

Nagisa didn’t say anything about it. They started walking away from the beach.


End file.
